President Trump addresses large crowd in Poland, reaffirms U.S. support for NATO

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WARSAW, Poland – President Donald Trump delivered a speech to a large crowd Thursday in Poland’s Krasinski Square, the site of the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi occupation.

Speaking in front of thousands of people, the president praised Poland for its indomitable will and commitment to defense.

“The example you set is truly magnificent,” he said.

He used the speech to renew his call for other NATO members to boost defense spending. Trump said that Poland is “now among the most committed members of the NATO alliance” and added that Poland “has resumed its place as a leading nation of a Europe that is strong, whole and free.”

The president reaffirmed his commitment to NATO’s Article 5 during the speech, saying the U.S. “has demonstrated not merely with words, but with its actions that we stand firmly” behind it.

Trump was criticized during his first foreign trip for failing to explicitly reaffirm his commitment to mutual members of NATO during a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The article states than an attack on one member is an attack on all members and binds the allies to come to that country’s defense. It has only been invoked once, after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Trump also called on Russia to stop its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and end support for “hostile regimes.” He specifically mentioned Syria and Iran. He urged Russia to join the “community of responsible nations” in the fight against common enemies and the defense of civilization.

He made the comments as he prepares to meet face-to-face for the first time with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, which the U.S. does not recognize. Russia also supports separatist elements operating in Ukraine.

While Europe no longer faces the threat of communism, Trump said the West faces “dire threats.” He referenced terror attacks across the world, vowing that “we will confront them and we will win.”

He referred to “radical Islamic terrorism,” the label for extremists that he used frequently during the campaign but declined to say in front of a gathering of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia during his first foreign trip in May.

Trump said extremist groups threaten the West’s “way of life” and obliquely defended the administration’s travel ban that restricts immigration from some Muslim majority countries.

He ended his speech by declaring that the “West will never be broken” and vowed to win the battle against extremism.